Posts Tagged ‘Bishops Waltham’

Commenting on PROinspect Consultancy, and Stuart Parrett in particular, Dominic Beeton stated —-

On the professional side of things, I would strongly recommendStuart Parrett of ProInspect. Stuart runs a firm from Bishops Waltham. Check his web site here He is a residential surveyor who has a fervent passion for surveying and wants to share that passion with the world.  His web site is crammed full of useful articles.  If you need a surveyor who will produce a comprehensive survey report using the latest technology including thermal imaging, Stuart is your man.  He is also a really nice chap.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATE SPOTLIGHT (via RICS website):-

• +16% Qatar’s predicted jump in GDP in 2010.
• -13% predicted fall in US construction spend on hotels, offices and retail centres in 2010.
• India has banned all new projects in 43 industry hubs because of critical pollution.
• Abt £43billion worth of hotels are underway in the Gulf.
• China built fewer homes in 2009 than in any of the previous 38 years.

UK UPDATE:-

• Construction workloads fell in all sectors in Q4 2009.
• Michel Roux Jr is opening soon at RICS HQ in Parliament Square.
• More doom and gloom.

PROinspect PROPERTY UPDATE:-

• Our clients remain well informed with clear condition and risk analysis from us.
• Our clients buy with confidence and can smile in the face of market gloom.
• No change from last year then!
• Our new and improved website (thank you Mindsheet in Langstone, Hampshire, UK) has been and is an outstanding success.
• February was our best month since the Practice started. We wish to thank our clients and all those new contacts working with us via BNI and other sources.

CAN YOU HELP US?

• We need Domestic Property heating engineers willing to test boilers and report on house heating systems quickly so potential purchasers can enter price negotiations without delay. We need names and addresses, insurance details etc… of Companies who you know be excellent and can personally recommend.
• Ditto Flat Roofer companies.
• Estate Agents willing to join BNI networking in the Hampshire Meon Valley district, preferrably Bishops Waltham based – this is a real opportunity for the right applicant but we cannot find the right partner prepared to make a networking commitment.

Special character of city “under threat”

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English Heritage says two-thirds of Conservation Areas at risk of neglect.

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This was reported – the main, front page headline – in the Winchester based Hampshire Chronicle in mid-2009.

Will the use of Article 4 Directives be extended so affected homeowners cannot even make small changes to their homes? Will Listed Building Officers use this new background influence to retrospectively demand past “improvements/works” are rescinded, new windows removed and replaced with single-glazed casements, paint colours changed, gutter types be replaced, Satellite Dishes removed or relocated, etc…… The list is potentially endless.

This opens up the old argument of just what is being protected? Also… all potential owners of Listed Buildings, or non-listed homes but within a Conservation Area, should always have a survey completed as added protection against retrospective claims (it doesn’t hold water that you didn’t do it – you are still liable).

Conservation should not mean “no change whatsoever”: districts and individual homes evolve with time and circumstances and often conservation policy and actions can cause district stagnation and either enhancement or depreciation in worth/value. A balance must be struck between parties to retain our bricks-and-mortar heritage.

In my own Town of Bishops Waltham, one of the Conservation Areas said to be “at risk”, we have several examples of such conundrums:-

High street shops have erected metal brackets to hold seasonal Christmas trees along the high street. Building Control officers sought for their removal as unauthorized development, mainly upon Listed Buildings, in a conservation area. Fortunately, common sense, for once, has intervened.

The larger, and more thorny, issue in Town at the moment revolves around a brownfield site as a possible Sainsbury superstore. Say No To Sainburys is plastered around town and feelings are running high.

Sainsburys say that nectar card analysis reveals that a large Store in town is more than required by the spending power of town residents alone and that a local store would encourage us to stop travelling to Fareham or Hedge End where giant stores abound, and are often grid-locked.

Local shops say NO, the town and high street would become a ghost town and destroy the quite charm of our market town. This NO faction, as always, are very vocal and believe the majority are against Sainburys.

Looking at this issue holistically and dispassionately, can our high street support an ever growing population with diverse needs, is parking adequate, are cars congesting what should be a pleasant shopping experience, how can our commercial centre grow and meet are needs?

The same basic underlying factors are at play –

Is the status-quo set in concrete or can a market town grow sensibly to serve residents needs? Can large changes OR many small changes be made yet not spoil the essential character of our environment?

I recently toured Asturias through to Galicia in north-west Spain, an area of small farmsteads, rural in character and with breathtaking countryside and coastlines. Change is happening big-time : a coastal motorway is opening up the region and nearly all major Towns are having ring-roads built, cobbled-stoned high-streets created, etc…. Change is a part of life and they are embracing it (probably with EC grant funding, but that is another story).

People, buildings and environments must adapt to current needs and trends if a sustainable community is to be created, one in which our children may just decide to stay in, rather than make an early bee-line to the nearest City (civilization, as only our youth see it).

Whether it is to Sainburys objectors, local Conservation Officers or a Listed Building owner, I say the same thing; be tolerant and do not shut off change for the sake of it.

Metal brackets or a fully fledge, massive Sainburys stores are matters that require proper judgement plus an empathy with not only our own needs but also those of the whole community. What does common-sense say to you – no change or evolution in a controlled fashion?

Time will tell. To change or not to change?

If you want the best, call us and expect a lengthy conversation!

078 3636 3040

email: stuart@proinspect.co.uk

mail:

PROinspect Consultancy

Knowsley House, Hoe Road

Bishops Waltham, Southampton,

If you would like to get in touch with us via email, please fill in the contact form on the right hand side.

Remember – the more specific your data to us, the more we can prepare before we call you back (thus saving you time).

We look forward to working with you: Stuart Parrett

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We are:

• Chartered Surveyors (residential market buildings/services plus on some commercial units)
• House/Flat Market Valuers
• Home Inspectors
• Domestic (non-new Homes) Energy Assessors
• Thermal Imagers
• Residential Property Consultants
• Expert Witness Reports (dispute and Court Action reports).

We work with:

• Private Individuals
• Portfolio Owners
• Local Authorities
• Solicitors
• Estate Agents
• Relocation Companies
• Building Companies
• Developers
• Accountants

We work in:

• Bournemouth, Winchester, Southampton, Portsmouth across to Chichester
• Salisbury, Andover, Newbury, Basingstoke, Petersfield across to Midhurst.
• New Forest, Totton, Romsey, Bishops Waltham, Wickham, Fareham, LocksHeath, Titchfield, Eastleigh, Havant, Waterlooville…..
• All Villages in-between; all Towns aroundabout: into surrounding neighbouring Counties.
• For higher value services and premises we will travel greater distances (including for Brits buying abroad).

Our Survey Products

The right choice is essential to match your needs:

Our surveys come in three differing levels:  1, 2 and 3.